Group Newsletter

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Y'all, I'm so sorry this is late. I sent it (or thought I sent it?) hours ago, but no one got it so I just sent it (again? for real? I don't know--fun fact, when you broadcast to members there isn't a "see sent messages" option! Because WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO KNOW WHAT WAS JUST SENT TO 30000+ PEOPLE?!

Aaannnyway...

Here's what you should or should have or will have received:

Dear all 32,838 adventurers,

Gather 'round for a campfire tale!

During a Winter's Orbit (scifi discussion here) many years ago, another troupe of adventurers camped here and met a creature seemingly made of Nettle & Bone (fantasy discussion here). Bald, pale, with and improperly dressed for the weather, all rags and sharp pointy-out bits, it came out of nowhere, as silent as a predator in a snowstorm. Quickly, the troupe voted with their poles (this is how we get our poll-voting tradition! You should engage in this tradition or face the consequences described next!) to charge the apparition.

As timely as a reread, the troupe circled in a maneuver called The Ten Thousand Doors of January and took turns shouting at the creature, startling and confounding it. They saw the tatters of the thing's Redshirts and a strange bit of metal whose letters spelled out ELANTRIS. Dazed and surrounded, the spook was without Foundation and unable to respond to its jailors in any capacity.

"Help! Virtual Reality! Book! Club!" it shouted at no one in particular. "Book! Buddy, you read me?!"

"Enough spells, demon!" shouted the troupe's wizard, named Ranna. "I can do spells too. Readall Thebewks! Circay Dee'N Rhythm!"
"A Dozen Roses and Tea of Be'R!" joined in the rogue, Dryan.
The ranger Jallison sat down and said "look, you all, it's not doing anything, maybe we should Get to Know it."

"Book?" squeaked the tattered being again, tentative and shivering.

The troupe agreed that a friendship started in Books was probably not so bad, and they all sat down for a nice chat.

We now know of course that this was the missing Private Elantris of the SS Enterprise, gone missing in a freak holodeck accident involving a game played by him and his friends Corporal Book and Ensign Club. He was never heard from again, but the stories say he went on to found this very group.

THE END

(For more--but shorter-- descriptions of this month's events, please see Current Events!)

[Mindy]

Thanks for another wonderful Newsletter, Allison! We received it both in Goodreads and in our hearts!

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

<3 <3

[Jemppu]

Delight. As usual.

👏👏👏 for ceaseless creativity.

[YouKneeK]

I just had to pop in and say how much I loved this month’s newsletter. :) It made me laugh, and as a bonus I learned that I was mispronouncing the book I’m reading.

(And welcome back, Bunnicula!)

[Bunnicula]

Thank you!

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

(Since GR has been having issues sending newsletters, here it is for you!

It's October!

Come gather round for a spooky campfire story! Not in the mood to be chilled to the spine? You can always check here for Current Events!

It was cold and dark when The Buffalo Hunter Hunter (fantasy discussion here) left her home. Though she lived in hope--what her French grandmother called Esperance (scifi discussion here)-- even she felt the closeness of dread creatures that night.

Scared though she was, she knew there was always another day--another time to choose a different path (for the bookshelf! Go vote!)

But now it was the time of re-reads, when the riffling of pages whispers endlessly, and the entire population of Esseffbe Sea stayed indoors. It was a time for re-opening the Doomsday Book , for waiting for the monsters in the City of Stairs to descend and scour the world for new stories to claim. It was A Night in the Lonesome October and she was alone. On The Outside she remained calm, but inside, she quavered at the challenges before her.

First would be the Tee-Byar challenge, harder even than the trials of Hercules, for where he only had to succeed at 12, this challenge had 20 tasks.

If she succeeded that, next would come Reedall Thebuks, who grew stronger the longer you faced him, and who never offered the same deal twice.

And then, at the end of it all, Science Fiction & Fantasy Booklovers Combat.

But she dare not think of that yet. Not when she was missing her Buddy Readers. Not when Virtual Book Club (meeting October 26!) was days and cell towers away.

Not when the first monster of the night stood in front of her, book dangling from dripping claws. She steeled herself just in time for the monster to raise the book to its slavering maw and rip out the last page.

Be safe and kind to your books!

Happy (and spooky!) reading!

-The mods